The Stillman Collection

A Short History of the Collection

Chauncey Stillman came from a family of art connoisseurs from which he inherited a love of art and much of his art collection. The Stillman collection at Wethersfield reflects the diversity of taste gained from a whole family of collectors.

James Jewett Stillman, the financier and banker (1859-1918), was the first in the Stillman family to turn his attention to the artistic world. While patronizing contemporary artists like Mary Cassat, Abbott Handerson Thayer, and Homer Dodge Martin, James Stillman also collected works of the Old Masters.

James Stillman

After James Stillman's death, his collection was both gifted to multiple museums and inherited by family. Chauncey Stillman, the grandson of James Stillman, inherited many pieces from his grandfathers collection, and other family members to which he added his own acquisitions.